


Intertwined

by sabinelagrande



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Hair Braiding, Morning After, Protective Vax, Sex Hair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 03:47:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7668931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabinelagrande/pseuds/sabinelagrande
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The morning after doesn't go quite like Percy expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Intertwined

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in some nebulous time period between The Sunken Tomb and The Feywild. Just go with it.

It isn't until the fourth time they sleep together that Vex actually stays the night. Percy understands discretion quite well, but it's awfully nice to wake up with Vex in his arms, to kiss her lazily for long minutes before they reluctantly part to greet the day. They almost don't part, because a replay of the night before sounds like a fine idea, but in the end, Vex gives him one last kiss and slips away.

When Percy does get up, it's with a certain spring in his step; he washes up and goes down to breakfast, where most of Vox Machina is already eating. "Morning," he says, retrieving food from the sideboard and sitting down.

"You look happy this morning," Keyleth says.

"It's a nice day," Percy replies.

"It's raining cats and dogs," Vax says, eying him.

"I rather like the rain," Percy says, in what he hopes is a nonchalant fashion. "Besides, we needed some." Vax is still looking at him like he's on to Percy's game, but he says nothing further.

Vex comes in shortly after, fixing her plate before sitting down next to her brother, across from Percy. Now that Percy looks her over, she still looks like she hasn't quite recovered; her hair is a bit of a mess, bits of it sticking out from her braid. Percy hides his smile behind his glass, but Vex catches him, giving him a wink.

There's a pause.

Scanlan is looking between the two of them, clearly on the edge of some comment, but Vax reaches over and puts a hand over his mouth. The two of them have a moment of wordless understanding before Vax removes his hand; Percy can tell it's physically difficult for Scanlan to hold in his innuendo, no doubt a non-permanent state, but Vax can be quite the force when he's provoked.

Percy immediately witnesses this firsthand when Vax turns, looking daggers at him, even sharper than the ones he keeps on his belt. He puts his hands on Vex's shoulders, turning her away from himself, and loosens the tie at the end of her braid. He gives Percy another cold stare before he turns his attention to Vex's hair, combing it out with his fingers before redoing it, his movements practiced and quick. Vex makes the same small noises of complaint she always does, but she doesn't move away.

Percy was prepared for Vax to punch him at the very least, so in all, he considers himself lucky.

This consideration only lasts for a few hours. Percy is on his way to work on a few ideas when a hand claps his shoulder; he knows without looking that it's Vax, that this is where the other shoe drops.

"If I could have a moment of your time," Vax says; his words may be polite, but his tone isn't.

"Of course," Percy replies, trying to sound casual. "Lead the way."

Vax steers him into the dining hall, pushing him forward the last few steps. "Do you know how to braid hair?" he asks.

The question catches Percy off-guard; of all the things Vax might ask him about on this particular day, Percy didn't think hair care was on the list. "Excuse me?"

"I asked you a simple fucking question, Percival," Vax says, in a very dangerous tone.

The memory of watching his mother put Whitney's long hair in neat plaits comes to him unbidden, bringing a tightness to his throat. "I've seen it done many times," Percy says around it. "I understand the theory."

Vax unwraps the leather thong holding his hair back and thrusts it into Percy's hands. "Sit," he says, jabbing a finger at the bench beside the dining table. Confused but unwilling to incur Vax's wrath, Percy obeys; he only gets more confused when Vax sits down in front of him, his back to Percy.

"What is this about?" Percy asks warily.

"You know what this is about," Vax says. He runs a hand through his hair, shaking it out. "Braid."

"I'm sorry, what?" Percy replies.

"You heard me," Vax says. "Braid my hair."

"Alright then," Percy says slowly, unsure how to proceed. He's done stranger things for and with Vax before, but there's some import behind this, something he can't quite grasp. Better to just go with it for the moment, if he is to figure it out.

He combs his fingers gently through Vax's hair, considering what to do. His sisters used to wear complicated things, many pieces woven together, but he severely doubts he would even know where to start. Instead he loosely groups the hair into three sections; it's more fiddly than he expected to braid them without a solid starting point, but he manages, working his way down and tying it off with the leather.

"Finished," Percy says, and Vax produces two mirrors from the pouch on his belt, holding them before and behind him, angled so he can see the back of his head. From this position, Percy can see Vax's face in one of them, and he does not look pleased.

"Wrong," Vax says, setting the mirrors down and pulling the cord loose. He runs his hand through his hair, undoing Percy's good work. "That was sloppy. Make it neater."

Percy frowns at the back of Vax's head; Vax still seems agitated, and Percy isn't quite sure what approach to take. He starts again, focusing on keeping his sections discrete. "Can I ask what this is about?" he says, as he works.

Percy can see Vax tense. Vax is silent so long that Percy almost rescinds his question, but finally he speaks.

"You," Vax says, with no small amount of venom in his voice, "let Vex'ahlia walk out of your room, in _your_ castle, in _your_ town, looking like a fucking mess." Percy's fingers still. "No one told you to stop," Vax snaps.

"Sorry," Percy says, picking up where he left off, too confused and intimidated to do anything else. "I assumed she could take care of herself."

"That's not the fucking point," Vax says. "You took her to your bed and then let her roll out of it without even caring about the simplest courtesy."

"Really, Vax-" Percy starts to protest.

"I'm talking," Vax says over him. "If this is going to happen between the two of you, you have a responsibility to pay attention to her needs. My sister is precious, and you _will_ treat her with the respect she deserves." This time, he doesn't even look before he pulls out Percy's braid. "Now do it again, tighter this time."

"I will never do anything to hurt Vex, not after what I did," Percy says, his hands shaking slightly as he plaits Vax's hair again.

"You've already killed her once, and you're not capable of worse," Vax tells him.

"Thank you," Percy says after a moment, for a dozen different reasons.

Vax holds up his mirrors again, checking Percy's work. "That's a little better," he allows. "Make your sections more even." He hesitates for a moment. "If you're not hopeless at this, I'll show you the way Vex likes it done."

"I'd like that," Percy says sincerely.

"Again," Vax says, and Percy sets to work.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Podfic - Intertwined](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9175654) by [bienenalster (pinkspider)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkspider/pseuds/bienenalster)




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